Kruger & Okavango Delta Camping or Lodge Safari

A great 11 day Safari to South Africa's Kruger National Park and Botswana's Okavango Delta.

Departing from Johannesburg you will head via the Panoramic Route to South Africa's premier reserve, the Kruger National Park. We will spend our days in search of all the animals on offer in the park and hopefully see the "Big 5" if we are lucky!

Its then off to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, a true Garden of Eden. We will spend our days searching for the game that can be found in the Delta and relaxing in this true wonderland.

Its then back across the border to Johannesburg where our journey comes to an end.

Day 1: Panoramic Route through Blyde (Motlatse) River Canyon - South Africa

This tour departs from Johannesburg and Pretoria leaving from any of the requested backpackers hostel, guesthouse or hotels early in the morning. Our first stop will be for breakfast, before we head for Nelspruit to collect more passengers. Otherwise we head straight on to Graskop, via Dullstroom and Lydenburg, where we stop for lunch. After lunch we drive through the majestic northern Drakensberg mountain range, making various stops along the way. Along the panoramic route we will visit God's Window, Bourke Luck Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon. We stop at the Three Rondawels viewpoint in Blyde (Motlatse) River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world.
Accommodation:
Camping at private lodge
Bedded at private lodge
Meals included: Dinner (breakfast and lunch on own account)

Day 2: Kruger National Park - South Africa

In the morning a short drive brings us to the main entrance of Kruger National Park, known as Orpen gate. Early departure ensures our arrival at Orpen as the gates are opening. Kruger Park is South Africa's premier game reserve, home to the famous Big 5 African animals. The game reserve boasts some 147 mammal, 114 reptile and 502 bird species. When we arrive at Kruger we will be transferring to an open sided safari vehicle, a customized 4 x 4, in which we will do our game viewing drives.

The Kruger National Park is a vast expanse of wilderness of roughly 20,000 km2. The Park is about the size of Israel, the Netherlands or Wales. Due to its sprawling size the reserve spans several different vegetation types, each forming the habitat of different wild animals adapted to the various areas of the park. Most of our time in Kruger is spent on game drives giving us the best opportunity to see the different animal and bird species that live in the various zones of the reserve. We focus on the central region of the park, as this is where chances of seeing the big cats and a large variety of other animals on our game drives are best.

You will get to stop throughout your game drives at the various view points and hides of the Kruger park. Both breakfast and lunch will be prepared by the guide/s on your trip, so you can sit back and enjoy your meals in the African surrounds of Kruger at one of the picnic stops.

You will get to experience the thrill of a night drive, with the three-hour adventure starting at sunset. The night safari drive is conducted in a Kruger National Park open sided game viewing vehicle accompanied by a Kruger guide.
Accommodation:
Camping at Camp site inside Kruger National Park
Bedded at Private lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Kruger National Park - South Africa

Its up early for our morning cup of coffee before we head into the Kruger National Park in our open sided game viewing vehicle. We will spend most of the day in search of the Kruger's wildlife. We will enjoy our breakfast and lunch at the various picnic sites inside the Kruger National Park.
Accommodation (Camping): Camping inside Kruger national park
Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Hartbeespoort - South Africa

On our last morning in the Kruger National Park you can take a walking safari if you choose. You will have the opportunity of going on a Kruger park game walk with two of Kruger national park's armed guides. The Kruger game walks offer you a chance of seeing the African bush up close and personal. It's about getting to see the smaller creatures and notice details that you usually overlook from a safari vehicle. The walking safari is not intended to offer a better chance of seeing the big animals. In fact you can almost be guaranteed to see more big game and other animals on the safari game drives in Kruger than on one of the nature walks.

For those opting out of the game walk, there will be one last game drive. This safari game drive will be a short one in a closed vehicle, aimed at spotting those yet to be seen or photographed animals.

Afterwards we leave the magnificent Kruger National Park for a private lodge lying just beyond its borders. Here we get to enjoy a home cooked and well-deserved breakfast. From the private lodge we head to Johannesburg and Pretoria where some of our travel companions leave the safari group. Next we drive on to Hartbeespoort, which lies in the North West province of South Africa. We then sleep at the backpackers lodge in the valley below the Magaliesberg Mountains for the night.
Accommodation: Backpackers lodge
Meals included:Breakfast only

Day 5: Nata - Botswana

Early in the morning we set off northwards in the direction of the Botswana-South Africa border. We will stop for breakfast en-route (at your own cost). We also stop for last minute shopping and banking inside South Africa, before crossing the border. Once in Botswana, your guide will help you with currency exchange. We keep heading north for a night of camping in Nata.
Accommodation:
Camping (optional upgrade to bedded)
Meals included: Dinner only

Day 6: Maun (Botswana)

We get up in the early morning for breakfast after which we head west along the northern most border of the Kalahari Desert to the town of Maun arriving around midday. Maun is the official gateway to the Okavango Delta. In the town we stock up on supplies for our adventure into the Okavango Delta.

We will spend the night a few kilometres outside the town at Sitatunga campsite. During the afternoon you can relax at the campsite pool or visit a crocodile farm in the area which has crocodiles from 10cm in length to 4 meters!

Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 7, 8, 9: Okavango Delta (Botswana)

The Okavango Delta is the jewel of Botswana and one of the top destinations for travellers to Southern Africa. The Delta is made up of a series of rivers, flood plains and waterways that gets its water from the plains of Angola during the rainy season. It takes a good 6 months for the waters to make their way down into the Okavango Delta. Not only is the Delta a visual delight but it is also home to an abundance of fauna and flora. (Including some amazing birdlife). If you focus is on game viewing then the best time to visit the Delta is during the winter months (May - September when the water levels are at their highest. During the summer months the birdlife is spectacular but the wildlife is less abundant as they migrate north where there is more water.

We head out of Maun after breakfast in 4x4 open sided game viewing vehicles which will take us into the National Park to the edge of the waterways. We dismount the vehicles and meet our local guides (Also referred to as polers). We will load all out possessions into traditional dugout canoes known as mokoros. The polers will then guide us deep into the Delta along the waterways.

The camping we do in the Okavango is a real bush experience. The reason for this is that there are no official campsites in the concession we make use of. This means that there will be no showers, electricity, fences, running water or buildings. We camp in traditional Bush Camps with only the supplies we bring with us. After we set up camp we enjoy a light lunch. We generally cool off this time of day as it tends to be very warm. (Especially in the summer months). The delta has some great natural pools that act as swimming pools for us. These natural pools come with white sand and crystal clear water a pool experience you will not forget in a hurry! In the mornings we will do a game walk as well as in the late afternoon. We will search for the wide variety of animal life that call the Delta home. The guides we make use of are experts in the area and will give you a full overview of the fauna and flora and the Okavango Ecosystem. Game viewing on foot in the Delta is a true wildlife experience.

We enjoy our dinner and then it's time to relax around the campfire listening to the sounds of the Delta as a backdrop. It is often the case where we hear Lions roaring, hyenas and jackals crying and the sound of the elephants rumble.

On the last day you will start your morning with a morning game walk after a cup of coffee. After the walk it's time for breakfast before we break down of campsite and return back to the 4x4 vehicles via our mokoros.

On our return to Maun the guide will prepare lunch. In the afternoon you will have the chance to do a 1 hour flight over the Delta. (At your own expense). The amount of game you will see by air is amazing and it's the perfect time to take some photos of this amazing ecosystem.
Accommodation - Days 7 & 8: Free bush camping
Accommodation - Day 9: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Palapye (Botswana)

After breakfast we depart from Maun to the town of Palapye where on arrival you can unwind around the pool. Along the route we will stop for lunch (for your own account).
Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11: Return to Johannesburg & Pretoria (South Africa)

In the early morning we head south and over the border back into South Africa. You will be dropped off back at your accommodation in Johannesburg/Pretoria early in the evening. You will stop off for breakfast and lunch en-route (for your own account).
Included meals: No meals included

Accommodation description:

On the Kruger National Park stretch of the safari trip, you can choose to camp or sleep in bedded accommodation.

Kruger National Park (Camping option):
 
We camp, with the option of upgrading to bedded accommodation at the same lodge, on the first night at a private lodge. Guests sleep in safari tents that have been permanently erected at the lodge. The tents are spacious at 3m x 3m with 2 mattresses the size of single beds in each. Guests will need to bring their own sleeping bags. The safari tents are fitted with mosquito netting in the windows and entrance for the comfort of guests. You will be served a three course dinner on the first night of staying at the lodge.
We depart for Kruger park the following morning, where we settle in at a permanent campsite inside the game park. The campsite has separate bathroom facilities for male and female visitors with a permanent supply of hot water.
The tents in this campsite are also permanently set-up on platforms and fitted with two single bed mattresses each. At this camp we also have tent dedicated to kitchen facilities fitted with gas stoves and a refrigerator ensuring that foods are kept fresh and drinks chilled.

Kruger National Park (Bedded accommodation):
 
The guests staying in the bedded accommodation on this package will continue to stay at the private lodge for the rest of the time spent in Kruger park. We will depart for the gates of Kruger National Park early in the mornings to ensure that we arrive at the gates as they open. Full days will be spent exploring the park with evenings spent back at the lodge where you will be served three course dinners.

First night camping and remainder in bedded accommodation:

Children from the neighbouring rural villages often dance at the lodge as part of their own initiative. The children's dance group developed their own dance and song routine requesting permission from the lodge to perform for guests at the lodge. The lodge showed its support for the kids group by making traditional dancing outfits for them to perform in and welcomed them to perform for the lodge's guests. These children are self-supporting, earning tips from guests at the lodge from their singing and dancing. The lodge does not pay the children to perform and at times the children are unable to make performances, although this is seldom the case.

Backpackers Lodge, Hartbeespoort:
 
The Hartbeespoort backpackers Lodge is set on an 8-hectare property in a farming district, outside of both town and city. The backpackers' property is located at the foot of the Magaliesberg Mountains in a scenic valley.
Dependent on availability single guests will sleep in small dormitories, single rooms, or twin rooms with 2 single beds sharing a bathroom. Couples will be accommodated in either a double or twin room with or without bathroom, depending again on availability.
The guide or driver will stop at a supermarket so that guests can shop for fresh food or get take-away food on this day, as dinner is not included. Cooking facilities are available at the backpackers lodge for guests to cater for themselves. Alternatively guests can choose to dine at one of the local restaurants, with the driver taking you to and collecting you from your choice of eatery.

Accommodation in the Delta

We will be making use of Bush Style camping for our stay in the Delta. What this entails is us finding a cluster of trees along the delta's waterway that is suitable for setting up camp. This is a true wild experience with no electricity, bathrooms, buildings or fences! The only items that we will have are those we will bring along with us.
For the toilet the local guides will dig a hole and construct a toilet. It is important to note that there will be no showers while we are in the Delta, but the delta will provide natural swimming pools for us in crystal clear water! (A swim is a must especially during the hot afternoon).

No upgrades available while in the Delta.

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